Home is Where the Heart Sings
by KAirismatic
Summary: Sound of Music AU. Thorin Oakenshield and Company have reclaimed Erebor and the Arkenstone, but home is not what it used to be. Can an odd little hobbit that Gandalf brings to The Lonely Mountain bring back what has been lost to the dwarves? Thilbo Bagginshield eventually.


The mountain had been regained, but it almost felt as if it were not so. Erebor had been reclaimed, but it was not the Erebor it had once been. Stone halls that had once been filled with a great hoard of dwarrows now stood empty and silent as a grave, and a grave it was indeed, for there were many who had fallen in battle here, in these very halls. The forlorn company looked about at the stone columns and tried to find familiarity and comfort in the intricate designs, perhaps supposing to themselves that once their eyes had landed upon their victory, joy would fill in their hearts once again. But there was still an emptiness that plagued them; even the rotund dwarf's comment on the lack of food brought no mirth to the group. Truly, there was something missing, but it was something that could not be attained with gold or a dragon's carcass. Though Smaug now lay in an eternal slumber, courtesy of the cheeky bowman dwarf and his brother, the old dragon had taken something that could never be bought back, not by gold nor by sword.

However, whatever it was that was amiss, none of the company could name or place. It was quite an unsettling misfortune.

"We are home at last, Thorin," one of the dwarrows, Nori, finally spoke. But it did not feel like home, and although the regal dwarf did nod solemnly to his companion, he knew in heart that it was not so, and would not be for quite a long time. Mahal bless him if it ever did in his lifetime. He stood silently and tried to take in all that was here and all that it meant, this home that was his but was not. The other dwarves about him stood silent, save for Gloin, who gruffly spoke what everyone thought but did not say:

"This doesn't feel a _thing_ like our old mountain."

To which Dori replied with a mumble under his breath that sounded much like, "And I don't suppose it ever will," and Bifur, who had been standing next to him, grunted in consent and nodded his head so that the sharp axe embedded in his skull near rattled. At this, the other dwarrows began grumbling amongst themselves as they lay down their heavy weapons, taking the silence from their leader as a sign that they could be at ease. Bombur sat down hastily and rubbed his stomach, rummaging through his pack. "See if you can find a bit of firewood around here, hmm?" he asked, gesturing to the youngest dwarf, who bundled his self-knit scarf tighter around his neck with a quick and submissive nod. "That's a good lad." He promptly began setting out the desired tools to start up a meal for the rest of the party as the sent dwarf, Ori, set off to work.

"You're going to need some venison if you want to feed the lot of us," Fili, the fair-headed one, spoke out. He nudged his younger brother in the arm. "Kili and I could use another hunt, couldn't we, _khâzash_?" The brunette seemed to awaken from his thoughtful position and uncrossed his arms with an almost grateful smile. "Yes, we could," he said, jostling his brother playfully in return, and they shared an old mischievous spark, but for only a moment. The intense gaze of their uncle gave them the sudden urge to begin the hunt for their game as quickly as was possible, and they were gone in a few moments; in truth, they had been waiting to escape the tense atmosphere for quite some time now.

Balin, the eldest, crossed to where Thorin stood plaintively, arms crossed high upon his chest and fists clenched. His brow was set in a deep furrow above his deep blue eyes, and the older dwarf knew already what was on the king's mind. "It will take time, laddie, but it will all settle into place soon. Just you wait. You know as well as I do that we have a way of falling back into rhythm, steady as swinging an axe." The king under the mountain looked into the eyes of his oldest friend and closest advisor, as if searching for an answer there. He seemed to have found none, as he only grunted his disapproval and said, "I'm afraid your optimism renders you blind to the truth, Master Balin." He turned his eyes beyond the mountain; what he was looking for, Balin could guess, and knew that the solemn dwarf did not find it. "Things will _never_ settle here."

A sigh escaped the wizened old dwarf, but he remained silent, and laid a hand on the other's shoulder comfortingly as a small reply before turning to rejoin the party, who had scattered about the mountain, attempting to become accustomed to their old home once more.

"Didn't this used to be my room?" the voice of Bofur echoed, louder than the rest of the company would have liked, and a heavily-inked dwarf, Dwalin, grunted to himself, "Yes, perhaps, now please use it without haste." Nori, who stood next to him, scoffed under his breath before hoisting up his belongings to find his own lodgings. "Come, Dori," he called to his grim and brooding brother, "I suppose we better claim our own before we're left with the worst." Dori stood and trudged behind him, near dragging his own pack. He gave a sniff towards Bombur, who was still occupied with preparing the spices, and hoped to himself that dinner would be ready soon.

"Why so silent, friend?" Balin asked Óin, the company's healer, who had stayed behind and not given even so much as a glance towards the awaiting chambers. He nodded off in the abandoned direction, flinching when he heard the shouts of the returning princes Fili and Kili, who were complaining things of _not fair! _and their boots stomping madly off to join the rest of the party. They hastily dropped their game at the feet of Bombur, who yelped in distaste on how they were quite careless with their meal for the night. He shook his head and muttered under his breath, feeling his age begin to show in his quick irritation for all the noise. Óin just watched him. "It's affected all of us, you know," the healer whispered in the softest tone. "We may pretend that it will be alright, but it would be pretense to show joy." He looked down at his pack, where his medicines and other concoctions were strewn about on the ground before them. "I feel," he paused and his eyes wandered to where the king stood, "I feel that there will be many wounds that even I cannot heal."

Balin said no more, and the two sat in silence, the only sounds in the hall of Bombur stirring the pot, now that he had finally managed to skin the rabbits. He had had young Ori helping, but had turned to the young princes in desperation when the youngest dwarf seemed to only pale at the sight of the rabbits losing their pelts, knife shaking in hand. Dori and Nori had returned by then, and Ori had run to them, whimpering of his distaste. "I don't quite think I can eat _now_," he moaned. "Not after seeing such a horrid sight- oh that poor bunny!" Nori patted the top of Ori's head, shrugging in confusion and looking to Dori for what to say in comfort. Dori only sighed.

"It's not all that bad, Ori," he said at last, and the last words he wanted to say but held in hung in the thick underground air.

Unfortunately, Bofur, who had returned, had happened to overhear the small fuss over the rabbit and piped in what Dori had been attempting to hide from his younger, more sensitive brother. "Ya, it could be worse!" he shouted jovially, giving Ori a nudge too rough for Dori's liking, and he gave Bofur a disapproving scowl to say so. But the oblivious dwarf did not seem to notice, as he carried on. "_We_ could be the ones being hunted like rabbits, with wargs or orcs coming in all around us…"

He stopped promptly when Ori began to wail and Dori rewarded him with a nice firm _thwack _across the back of his head.

Nori shook his head and joined Bombur at the fire, rubbing his hands over the warmth. By now, the rest of the company had seemed to move in at the smell of dinner, save for Thorin, who was still perched at the mouth of the entrance. Fili nudged Kili aside with an aggressive and hungry "First-born rights," and dug into the soup straight away, sloppily pouring the thick stew into his bowl. Kili opened his mouth to complain, but was immediately appeased when his brother's eyes shone warmly at him and began serving his empty bowl as well. Glóin sat down painfully next to Bombur, rubbing his thigh as he did so. "Oh- my bones are aching more than usual," he chortled, eliciting a small chuckle from his pudgy companion. "When's that pretty wife of yours coming around, eh Glóin?" he asked, passing a bowl of steamy soup towards Bifur, who was grunting and holding out his hands as politely as a hungry dwarf rendered speechless could manage.

"Making her way, to be sure," Glóin replied with a proud grin, serving himself. "She'll be bringing along little Gimli too, of course." He put a spoonful of the stew up to his lips, blowing on the hot liquid a bit to cool it before taking a sip. "Stew's good, laddie," he complimented. Dwalin heavily sat on his other side, and the father dwarf gestured towards the pot. "Have some yourself, Master Dwalin. You won't be left wanting, that's a promise." The heavily armored dwarf only grunted, but served himself quite hastily. Ori had finally slunk out from under Dori's protective arm and had slid next to Dwalin's side, shyly holding out his own small clay bowl. Humorously, the brawny did not realize that the youngest dwarf had been holding out his bowl for _him _to fill until said dwarf cleared his throat timidly and whispered, "Mister Dwalin, if you please, sir…"

Dwalin nearly sputtered, not expecting a voice to be so near him, but as a result of trying to hide his surprise, choked on a half-chewed morsel of hare's meat. Bombur chuckled aloud at the sight. "For once, it isn't _me _suffocating myself on my dinner," he joked, and several of the other dwarves echoed his laughter. Dwalin just gave a dark scowl and distracted himself from his embarrassment by serving Ori his portion of the stew.

By this time, nearly all the dwarves had settled around in a circle, talking amongst themselves and cheering or laughing every once in a while, or reminiscing on old times.

All but one.

Bofur had begun to sing quite a ridiculous song; his full stomach and the warmth of the cave had quite lifted his spirits, and it seemed that it had done so to the rest of the company as well. He lifted his bowl high and began to chant something invented in his own mind, and it wasn't long before some of the others dwarves joined in, creating some of their own lyrics. Kili had an especially silly rhyme or two, and the company would say it ran along the lines of something like this:

_I once fell in love with a lady so fair,_

_With diamonds and sapphires strewn in flaxen hair,_

_Imagine my gawk,_

_When she turned with a squawk,_

_And I found, t'was Fili, not a lady, there!_

At this, the company stomped their boots merrily and whistled almost indecently at Fili, who roared his discontent at his brother and dedicated an equally demeaning rhyme in retaliation. The dwarves clapped and hooted and continued to add their own lines; Dori jesting at how many times Nori had been in trouble with the law, everyone's tribute to Bombur's shape (_I'm quite in shape- round is a shape!)._ Even young Ori joined in, putting in his own creations at least twice during their merry-making.

No one seemed to notice the dark presence that hovered towards them like an upcoming storm- at least, not until it was two feet away and growled lowly, voice as deep as the mountain's soul.

"We will have no more of that."

There was a silence that settled amongst the previously jovial party. Balin's eyes widened knowingly as he watched the way Thorin Oakenshield fingered the precious stone in his large hand. "Thorin," he began, but the dead-faraway look in the dwarf king's eyes silenced him. Bofur looked up at their leader quizzically. "it was just a bit o' fun, honest," he started. "We were just singin' a silly little thing, is all…" his defense grew quiet as Thorin turned on him with a dark scowl.

"And I said, _we will have no more of that."_

Bofur's eyes widened, but he refrained from further argument. Kili and Fili shifted their gazes back and forth between the company and their uncle uncomfortably. Thorin served himself from what remained in the pot; Bombur had opened his mouth to protest that _he _could serve his highness, but found he didn't quite have the voice to speak a word.

Night had begun to settle on the mountain, but it was not nearly as dark outside as it was in. The company continued to eat in silence, no one daring to anger their king further. The only sounds were of spoons clambering against bowls, and soft murmurs between the company. Balin glanced worriedly at Thorin, but the king said nothing- he ate only with the same stony brow plastered to his face. Night creatures had begun their calls, at last breaking some of the strange quietness of the mountain, but still no one moved for a time, only shifting their feet or setting their bowls down once they were done. The company seemed to wait for their king's next command, half-expecting to hear that it had all just been a great jest, but Thorin said nothing, save to give a quiet thanks to Bombur for the meal before stalking off into the dark halls. The dwarrows were left sitting about and hesitantly looking to each other for answers.

"Ought something be done about those dishes?" Ori piped up suddenly.

"We'll get 'em later," came Dwalin's thick reply, and the dishes were left forgotten.

A/N: I hope you like this. I will appreciate any sort of reviews on how to improve (grammer or otherwise), or just a message letting me know if you like this idea!


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